Urban Boat Builders - Boat Building and Boat Instruction

UPDATED 3/16/07

RECENT LAUNCHINGS!

On Saturday, April 29th, our crew from HIRED (see "In The Shop") launched two canoes they built between November and March. Ramsey county commissioner Toni Carter made a special trip out to recognize their achievement.

Commissioner Carter (fourth from right) brought smiles, encouragement and advice for the builders on launch day.

Boatbuilding Instructor Phil Winger (in blue) welcomes the forty or so participants at the launching.

Marcus and Phil slide the canoe into the water for the first time.

Cortez paddles carefully. He's "not going into the water!".

Exploring a Hidden Urban Lake

On a mid-October day in Minnesota, you wouldn't typically expect to wear a t-shirt. Nor would you expect to find a tranquil escape in the middle of the Twin Cities during rush hour. Nor would you be able to spend the morning gliding around in a classic wooden boat for academic credit. But that's exactly what students from Focus Beyond ALC did.

After weeks of measuring, cutting, planing, and hammering, Pickerel Lake in St. Paul was a little slice of unexpected quiet for Matt, Jessica, Latarius, Matt #2, Tommy, and several other students. They tried their hand rowing three quite different hull shapes through the glassy water.

By all accounts, it was time well spent.

"It was really fun because I've never rowed a boat before. I rowed three different boats....You get the feel for different types of boats and how they handle." -Matt K, 17

"It was very worthwhile. I've never been in a boat before... It was challenging...I rowed three different boats but the pram was my favorite because it gave me a chance to work on my rowing skills... it was easy to handle." Jessica M, 17

"Not many of (the students) get a chance to look at the wilderness; they're just stuck in the city." -Matt K

Urban Boatbuilders hopes to increase its on-the-water programming for the reasons that these students gave. A riverfront location would facilitate this immensely...travel and transport of boats could be circumvented, and we could put more energy into environmental education. We'll keep you posted on the development of this vision.